We just bought a 1986 Buick LeSabre Esate Wagon the other day and we've got a mystery oil leak problem. Every time we go to town and back or work and back (average 20 to 30 miles) it uses 2 quarts of oil. THe oil light never comes on, the engine runs as quiet as a mouse, there no pistons chattering of clashing, no rockers or valves can be heard lashing or tapping-- except when it first cranks in the morning, and the only time it smokes is when you first pull out from a stop or accelerate suddenly. There's no ryhme or reason to the smoking at all-- it doesn't do it all the time, nor does it have to be in a strain-- uphill/downhill-- for it to do it. My father thinks it might be a piston ring froze from sitting up to long or maybe a cracked ring. I'm not sure it would be either of those; because I've have cars with both those problems and they never drank that much in that short of a drive.
The general info on the engine is this: 307 V8, 4bbl, Rear wheel drive, automatic, power everything, 188,000 miles on the engine, 86 estate wagon.
Plus it has a weird thing about just shutting down, like you cut off the key, when you bottom the power-steering pump all the way out in a turn or if you put it in reverse after running it a lot during the day. Anyone got any answers on that one too?
Thanks for the help in advance,
TJW & ACW